Atlanta Cheating Scandal Teachers Blame Testing! (Online Standardized Testing is the fix?)

Gather ^ | 7/11/11 | Jaymie Pierce

[Libloather]

Atlanta Cheating Scandal Teachers Blame Testing!
by Jaymie Pierce
July 11, 2011 06:55 PM EDT

Teachers caught in the big Atlanta schools cheating scandal complain about the pressure of achieving scores and targets from administrations in the school districts. Furthermore, they are attesting that it is the fault of the "No Child Left Behind Act." The Atlanta Journal reported today that the findings from the investigations gave three primary areas for the wide-spread cheating.

The report indicates that all schools would be considered failing under the "No Child Left Behind Act" expecting 100% proficiency. The stern actions of sanctions against teachers and principals keep them in fear of job loss. However, the teachers and principals are to take responsibility and expect to offer students the ability to gain perfect proficiency in common learning areas such as reading, writing and math? This excuse is sadly the result of educators that are not interested in education but in the paycheck and summer holiday. Too many excellent teachers get a bad reputation falling into the same class as teachers and principals that find it necessary to cheat instead of teach.

The article in the Atlanta Journal goes on to say, "Georgia and other states, as well as the federal administration and Congress, should treat the Atlanta scandal as a national warning call. Assessment and accountability policies much be overhauled to promote genuine educational quality, not just easily manipulated test scores."

[Libloather]

Yep, it's the pencil's fault.

Is Online Standardized Testing the Key to Ending Cheating?

[exPBRrat]

You can bring a horse to water but you can force them to drink. Typical of the one size to fit all failure of big government.

Resources should be used to ID the intellectual ones capable of learning and shoehorn them into regents types programs.

Others should get a solid basic education with opportunities to learn trade skills such as sheet metal fabricating, welding plumbing, electricity etc.

One can earn a decent living as a tradesman but the great thinkers in education seem to think everyone needs a college education...that’s ridiculous.

[Sursam Abordine]

You mean the NCLB authored by Ted Kennedy had problems/issues? I’m shocked, shocked I say!

[SampleMan]

In the military, you generally don’t test your own unit. Who would had thought that putting the workers in charge of their merit pay test would go awry????

[9YearLurker]

I’m not sympathetic in the least with cheating teachers, but NCLB and the standard of 100% “proficiency” are dreadful ideas that should be repealed.

How proficient could a standard that 100% of our populate could me be? What are we doing with our federal government monkeying in and funding education at all?

[Liz]

Crooked educators cooking test scores were/are also extorting gargantuan salaries, benefits and pensions, annuities, six-figure bonuses, free cars/fillups/maintenance. And that includes all that they can steal.

Atlanta's Dr Beverly Hall is now under scrutiny for rampant, systematic cheating on test scores involved 44 Atlanta schools and 178 teachers and principals. Hall absconded to Atlanta after the Newark, NJ school district she headed had a $73 million shortage.

Here’s Dr Beverly Hall showing off her medal----named "2009 Superintendent of the Year" by the American Association of School Administrators for "increasing Atlanta district's test scores and graduation rates."

Some observers say Beverly Hall is a big-time calculated liar and con artist......a walking crime wave. One observer claimed that, for public consumption, Hall puts on a sweet, sap-happy "Grandma’s Baking Sugar Cookies" act but behind the scenes she’s a ruthless, savage hag, dropping victims left and right like an armed fascist dictator.

Her activities in the state of NJ (before she absconded to GA) need to be exposed.....and prosecuted when warranted.....including the $73 million education budget item that disappeared under her watch.

You have to wonder how Hall ever got educator credentials. Is her doctorate legit? All of her CV should be rigorously scrutinized.....together with all official documents under her signature (falsifying govt documents is a felony).

[hal ogen]

Everyone should be cautious around anyone who refers to them self as an “educator”. Hold onto your wallets and watch your children.

[FreedomPoster]

They may say you’re a dreamer - but you’re not the only one.

Oh, and I’m sure you’re a racist for suggesting all that. As am I for agreeing with you.

[jimfree]

The answers are NO testing or independent testing. The teachers cannot be involved. I remember 50 years ago assembling in the cafetorium for standardized testing (Iowa test?).

[The Cajun]

Now that is interesting!

The New Orleans superintendent who was at the helm when 75 million turned up unaccounted for also absconded to Atlanta.

Can't remember his name, was some time ago, but his father was a janitor in the school system who made over $100,000 a year in *overtime* on average.

[Jim Noble]

Atlanta Cheating Scandal Teachers Blame Testing!

Yes, and they are absolutely correct.

It is an absurd, and easily falsified concept, that "no child" will be "left behind".

Starting by fifth grade, and with increasing intensity up through high school, LOTS of children begin failing to keep up.

This has nothing to do with teachers, and nothing to do with money.

It is because children are all different, they are born with different abilities, different aptitudes, and they develop different interests.

It is one thing to say, "society should organize and pay for schools that maximize the number of students finishing 12th grade", it is another thing all together to say, "if ALL students, black and white, don't finish twelfth grade, it is the system's fault and people will be punished".

The latter is now national policy (thanks, W), and since it is based on a lie, it will continue to engender more and more lies until either the policy falls or public education collapses altogether.

[hopespringseternal]

The Desoto, TX ISD just hired this loser, and they are wringing their hands over what to do about the fact she is a crook.

Ironically, her defense is that she isn't a crook, but incompetent. (She says she knew nothing about it.) That makes it all ok. /s

We homeschool, and I am starting to see people I never thought would do it pull their kids out of public school. The incompetence and corruption is making many public schools the last place you want to put your kid.

[Oshkalaboomboom]

The Desoto, TX ISD just hired this loser, and they are wringing their hands over what to do about the fact she is a crook.

No they didn't. Beverly Hall retired. You are thinking of Kathy Augustine, who was Beverly's assistant.

[mbynack]

No matter how they test, there will be a way to cheat. Who is going to verify that the person taking the on-line test is the student or someone else? I took a lot of on-line courses for college and there was always someone bragging about how they cheated. It can be as simple as using a calculator when they’re not allowed, using notes, having the text book open, or having someone else take the test for you.

[11johara28]

“It is an absurd, and easily falsified concept, that “no child” will be “left behind”. “

Does this mean that all students are passed on to the next year, even if they are not prepared?

I had to repeat fourth grade, and I and my parents really didn’t think of it as a big deal.

I was never a great student,but I ended up graduating from college and was able to get a job and support myself.

[Apple Pan Dowdy]

"The latter is now national policy and since it is based on a lie, it will continue to engender more and more lies until either the policy falls or public education collapses altogether."

Isn't that what the goal of the public system has really become? To collapse it altogether. The ruling elite send their kids to private schools. To them, the public schools are to create good little dumb workers who can't read or think for themselves.

But they can't allow the public to see that this is their goal, so they blame the teachers when students test with low scores. I know there are some lazy incompetent teachers out there and the Atlanta school system has more than it's share because better teachers can usually work their way up to assignments in the more sought-after suburban counties. And I certainly am not excusing the cheating, but......
The truth is that it is not always the teacher's fault if 100% of the students can't perform. Let's say you are a 5th grade teacher and you taught all the curriculum perfectly. There will still be a certain percentage of your classroom who, through no fault of yours, has never learned to read and write but has been passed up the grade levels because after all no child can be left behind. There will even be a certain percentage of students who are malnourished and sleepy, maybe even on drugs and can't stay focused in class (terrible home life conditions are rampant in the Atlanta system). No matter how good a teacher you are, those students won't learn and won't perform on the test.

[vette6387]

Good old Beverly is just another one of the nation’s most expensive “Migrant Workers.” It’s a national scandal that “administrators” like this old crook do in a school district while making exorbitant salaries, are forced to leave for some sort of malfeasance in office, but are able to take a substantial “buy out” in their employment contracts, and be rehired by another district ( eager to get their wealth of knowledge and expertise) as fast as an airliner can get get them there. Here in San Francisco, they kicked out another Black female superintendent for some shady financial dealings coupled with failed leadership, and she was off to Pittsburgh ( as I recall) where it only took a few months on the job for those folks to realize that they had made a mistake too. You just have to wonder about those we elect to our school boards. Evidently they are not very well educated, that is to say they can’t seem to read resumes very well.

[vanilla swirl]

You are correct. NCLB was one Bush mistake. I have said for a long time that not everybody can attain the same education level. NCLB tries to force that. One hundred years ago not everybody made it through grade school. Some dropped out work on a farm or factory. My wife is a teacher with a Masters degree and one year from retirement. (I only have a 2 year tech degree from years ago and we earn about the same money). She is not in a position to administer these tests. The schools are under tremendous pressure to bring up the scores with the results of failure being having the state take over the school. There is no consequence for the child because can’t leave him behind, it might damage his self esteem! There is a tremendous lack of discipline, you can’t kick kids out because they will lose fed money. The tests are already dumbed down to the point of uselessness.

[frithguild]

it is the fault of the "No Child Left Behind Act."

It's Bush's fault!

You people are slow this morning.

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

My daughter-in-law teaches 6th grade Science in Houston (pronounced HOUSEton)County, GA. It is supposed to be one of the better districts in GA and she is a tough teacher.

She said it is impossible in GA to teach for the test because the test is locked up tighter than a drum each year. No study guides or anything to indicate which areas a teacher should concentrate.

It makes sense they want an online testing system. They would then be able to teach for the test.

The good teachers and better districts might not like it. But THEY DO IT.

The AJC advocates lowering the standards for teachers and students,treating all teachers and students as failures. Yeah, that will work. It will keep them fat, happy and stupid, less likely to leave the plantation.